Author's Note: Well guys it is a new year! Hope you enjoy the next chapter of this fic. I also hope your holidays went well. We are down to the last two chapters for this arc. I do not know if I will write the whole arc out before I update when I get done with the last two chapters for this arc.
Spock froze as the sound of a something caught between a sob and a sigh drifted through the door to the bedroom. His heart squeezed in his side as his hands tightened around the PADD in his grasp. He waited listening for anymore sounds to come. Nothing but a human breath easing into sleep. A small hand laid on top of his. Consern and confusion coming across.
His son stood before him. "Why are you sad? When you look at Mr. Kirk. I can feel it in our bond. Why is he sad? Why are you in here and he is in there? That was why mom left. You never went to her when she was sad. You said humans were different and they need the other person to show emotions."
Spock opened his mouth before closing it. "It is complicated. Your mother bonded with me when I needed her. Though we cared about each other our marriage was not one of love. When she felt the call to preform kolinahr I... It would have been wrong to stop her. Her sadness came from somthing I coud not help her with."
He pulled his son against him running his fingers over the child's hair. "This sadness that Jim feels is also something I cannot help him with."
Lhai pulled away. His face contorted with his confusion. "Why not? Why can't adults just...stop being stupid?" He huffed and wiggled until he was comfortable. "The other children on New Vulcan are stupid like the adults. I like David. He isn't stupid. He doesn't say one thing and mean another. He said if you hurt someone and you really care about them, then you do everything in your power to make it up to them. You should make it up to David's dad. Say your sorry. Then he won't be sad anymore."
If only it was that simple. "Lhai, saying I'm sorry will not make this kind of hurt go away. I hope you never go through the same hurt."
The child snorted a habit he must have picked up from McCoy. Lhai was quickly picking up human behavior in his short stay. "I'm not stupid. I won't hurt people special to me." He slid off his father's lap before worming his way under the blankets next to David. He must have felt his father's questioning gaze becaude he turned to look at him. "He sleep better with someone next to him. And he's warm." With that he curled closer to the human child. "This planet is too cold."
Spock smiled softly before going back to the code before him. 'It has never been about saying how we feel but showing it.' How odd it took his son to remind him of that fact.
Hours passed to the slow tick of his internal clock. Each one brought with it a new line of codes. Until finally he came up with a single word. The sound of morning bird came from outside. The children were starting the first stages of becoming awake. It would take another hour before David awoke and as soon as he did Spock knew his son would wake as well.
Spock was torn between typing the word he had came to or waiting for Jim. This was after all his puzzle. The desire to know if he was right was stronger than it had been in years. If the word was wrong then it would lead to disapointment from his former captain. Slowly his fingers began to type.
Jim walked out of the bedroom. "Hey you're awake. I want to show you something. I think I've cracked the code." The blue eyed male looked away from where he stared at his work PADD and went to sit beside Spock. "I got this yesterday. I meant to show you but..." He shrugged. The immage of them dressed as fairies would likely never fade from Jim's mind.
Spock pulled his hands away from his PADD. "I did not hear you wake up." Was he that absorbed into work that he had failed to notice the other awake?
"Don't worry about it. I didn't sleep either. Or not any more than a light doze. Then I remembered this and had to solve it. What do you think?"
A frown formed on Spock's face. What ever had been the puzzle was long gone as if it had never existed. The only thing on the PADD now was a set of cordance that lead to no where that Spock had ever been.